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Yesterday was a busy day from start to finish, so I didn’t get a chance to record the day’s events last night! The day began in our Fulbright Master’s Class with guest speakers. The first speaker was a woman who works in cultural affairs for the U.S. Embassy in the U.K.  She mainly works in setting up exchange programs for adult professionals, such as members of the Houses of Parliament.  She sends them to the States to explore their field of interest in our country, so that relationships can be forged and ideas exchanged.  She also sends many professionals working on green technology, and such experts also come from the U.S. to the U.K. to give presentations.  She also helps tourists who have lost their passports, gotten into trouble, etc.  She recently published a book that looks at the history of the motel industry in the U.S. I really enjoyed her lecture, because it exposed another type of job that I could see myself interested in.

The second guest lecturer is a member of the faculty at King’s, who spoke to us about the European Union and Britain’s hesitancy to cooperate with the E.U.   This talk was very informative and made me realize how very little I know about major issues outside of our US borders.

After class, we got a quick lunch then met up with our mentors, who were taking us to see Brick Lane and the East End.  The area was very hipster-ish and vintage, and there were some really unique shopping areas to check out.

Danny and I split from the group at about 4:00 to head over to Olympic Park.  Security was a breeze to get through, and then we head plenty of time to explore the whole park! It was so much bigger than I realized from the outside, and there was a lot to see — the Orbit, the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Arena, Water Polo Arena, the biggest McDonald’s, etc.  We spent plenty of time walking around, and before we knew it, it was time to go into the game.  We had second row seats, which was awesome.  We sat next to a couple who are originally from CT and have been living in the UK for about 6 years now! The first game was GB vs. France. It was exciting to see the GB women’s basketball team, because this is the first year they have one.  They were close the entire time, then went into overtime, then France won at the last second with a three-point shot.  The second game was USA vs. Czech Republic.  I was happy to see the US, but it definitely wasn’t as exciting of a game.  The USA easily won. We explored the park a bit more on our way out, then got back to school close to 2:00 in the morning! It was a great night, and I was so happy to have had the opportunity to see inside the park.